Los Angeles Lakers

Magic Johnson explains why the Lakers traded D'Angelo Russell

Published Jun. 23, 2017 9:15 p.m. ET

Andre Vergara

The Lakers traded their No. 2 NBA Draft pick of two years ago, D'Angelo Russell, this week before welcoming their new one, Lonzo Ball.

On Friday, Magic Johnson explained why they made the trade.

"I'm going to do what it takes to get the right players in here with the right mindset. D'Angelo is an excellent player. He has the talent to be an All-Star. We want to thank him for what he did for us. But what I needed was a leader," Johnson told reporters. " I needed somebody also that can make the other players better and also that players want to play with."